Sean Heron

Background

About Sean Heron

In 2023 I graduated from Queen's University Belfast with a PhD in Politics awarded for my thesis "Fields of Possibility: Rural Environmental Governance in Northern Ireland after Brexit". My thesis explores the development and interaction of agriculture and environment policy after Brexit and builds an understanding of the future of governance regime for the rural environment grounded in document analysis, interviews and a solid understanding of devolution and power in the UK. This was the basis of my contributions to the edited collection "Rural Governance in the UK: Towards a Sustainable and Equitable Society" & context=ubx Since 2022 I have worked as a consultant at Miller Research. As a part of my role I have overseen and support research, evaluations and consultation analysis. This has included research to support the Welsh Government navigate the transition to a low carbon economy and a just transition, a review of local government climate change mitigation and adaptation plans, and research into the resourcing of flood management. Those are some of the highlights, however, I have also managed to use my professional experiences to support research in healthcare, community development, the rural econony and social policy. In addition to the research we have conducted I have led on the analysis of seven Welsh Government consultations including he Sustainable Farming Scheme consultation and the environmental governance consultation. Finally, I have supported a number of public, private and third sector organisations through our evaluations, including the final evaluation of Farming Connect. My previous experience includes working for the Northern Irish civil service in the energy division, working for Alzheimer's Societys dementia friendly community team and working in social care sector in England.